NRA knew about Russian agent's links to Kremlin and worked with her anyway
By Josh Israel -
September 27, 2019
Maria Butina plead guilty to conspiracy charges after working to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and other conservative groups.
Earlier this year, Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. The Kremlin-linked founder of Russia's equivalent to the National Rifle Association's had, without registering as a foreign agent, been working to infiltrate America's NRA and other conservative organizations.
A new report by the Senate Finance Committee's Democratic staff reveals that the NRA knew about Butina's links to Vladimir Putin's regime and welcomed her anyway, offering her access to the conservative movement.
The same, they found, was true of Butina's then-boss, former Russian government official Alexander Torshin — a "lifetime member" of the NRA who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury in April 2018.
According to their investigation, "the NRA, its officers, board members, and donors engaged in a years-long effort to facilitate the U.S.-based activities of Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin." They also found that some NRA officials who traveled to Moscow for a December 2015 meeting with Butina's group used the trip for their own business interests, a possible breach of the NRA's tax-exempt purpose.
https://shareblue.com/nra-russia-maria-butina-senate-investigation-national-rifle-association-kremlin/
I think maybe it is time to revisit the non profit status and how it is being used.................